For years, we’ve been told that Newark, NJ mayor/Stanford grad Cory Booker is the next, next thing in Democratic national politics. Indeed, history recalls few Newark chief executives invited to “Meet the Press” or who received more coverage
from the New York Times, which usually only ventures into Newark to cover the latest crime or to hold it up as an example of urban decay. Or for Booker.

But now Booker actually IS the next thing — he’s running for Senate in New Jersey and he’s got a major San Francisco tie. His campaign is being run by Addisu Demissie, a co-founder of the SF firm 50 Plus 1 Strategies, along with Nicole Derse. The two for Obama for President organizers met while working in 2009 for Organizing for America, the grassroots organization that grew out of the presidential campaign. About 1 1/2 years ago, they established their own political shop here in SF. Demissie has been in Jersey the past three months as the campaign manager of Booker’s operation.

Wow, we remember Derse back when she was on the San Francisco Youth Commission, oh, a dozen years ago when we wrote this story about the skateboarding wars in SF. From the Youth Commission to (possibly) the Senate. Wonder where the politics is tougher?